Rare butterfly and cottontail talk in Farmington, March 28

fosters.com

Writer

Posted Mar. 21, 2013 at 3:15 AM

Posted Mar. 21, 2013 at 3:15 AM

FARMINGTON — Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG) and the Farmington Conservation Commission (CC) will co-sponsor a free presentation called “Karner Blues and Cottontails” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 at the Old Town Hall, 531 Main St. Guest speaker Heidi Holman, a wildlife biologist at the NH Fish and Game Department, will show slides and talk about endangered Karner blue butterflies and threatened New England cottontail rabbits. Light refreshments will be served.

The federally endangered Karner blue butterfly was extirpated from New Hampshire in 2000 due to loss of the pine barrens habitat that supports wild blue lupine, the sole food source for caterpillars which develop into Karner blues. A restored habitat of approximately 500 acres around the Concord Municipal Airport is now serving as a reintroduction site for the species. The New England cottontail, New Hampshire’s only native rabbit, has become increasing rare over the last 50 years, also primarily due to loss of suitable habitat. Dense thickets and young forests provide essential Cottontail cover and food but the New Hampshire landscape now consists mostly of mature tree stands or mowed fields. The “in-between” habitat favored by NE cottontails is also desirable for traditional game species such as woodcock, ruffed grouse, turkey and other declining species.

Heidi Holman will address the whys and hows of restoring the habitats of these native species.

She has a master’s degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota. After working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, she joined NH Fish and Game in 2005. Habitat management such as prescribed burning, control of invasive plants, and native plant restoration has been a major part of her work, in addition to managing captive breeding and reintroduction of Karner blue butterflies and New England cottontails to New Hampshire.

Pre-registration is helpful for event planning but not required. For more information and to register, please call MMRG Education Coordinator Kari Lygren at 603-978-7125 or email info@mmrg.info or contact the Farmington CC at davidfly2@aol.com.

MMRG, a non-profit land conservation organization, works to conserve and connect important water resources, farm and forest lands, wildlife habitats, and recreational land in Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro. Throughout the year, MMRG offers many educational opportunities to inform all ages about the benefits of our region’s natural resources. For more information and a calendar of outreach events, visit www.mmrg.info.

The Farmington CC is comprised of town volunteers. The Commission works to acquire and conserve town open spaces and waterways, in accordance with the Farmington Town Master Plan, using funds from the town current use tax. For more information, see www.farmington.nh.us/Public_Documents/FarmingtonNH_BComm/conservation.